Adaptive and Personalized Navigation System

ABSTRACT

Adaptive navigation techniques are disclosed that allow navigation systems to learn from a user&#39;s personal driving history. As a user drives, models are developed and maintained to learn or otherwise capture the driver&#39;s personal driving habits and preferences. Example models include road speed, hazard, favored route, and disfavored route models. Other attributes can be used as well, whether based on the user&#39;s personal driving data or driving data aggregated from a number of users. The models can be learned under explicit conditions (e.g., time of day/week, driver ID) and/or under implicit conditions (e.g., weather, drivers urgency, as inferred from sensor data). Thus, models for a plurality of attributes can be learned, as well as one or more models for each attribute under a plurality of conditions. Attributes can be weighted according to user preference. The attribute weights and/or models can be used in selecting a best route for user.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.12/414,461, filed on Mar. 30, 2009, and titled “Adaptive andPersonalized Navigation System,” which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/556,120, filed on Nov. 2, 2006, and titled“Adaptive and Personalized Navigation System,” now U.S. Pat. No.7,512,487, which is related to U.S. application Ser. No. 11/556,128,filed Nov. 2, 2006, and titled “Generating Attribute Models for Use inAdaptive Navigation Systems,” now U.S. Pat. No. 7,680,749, all of whichare herein incorporated in their entirety by reference.

FIELD

The invention relates to navigation systems, and more particularly, toan adaptive navigation system that learns from a user's driving history.

BACKGROUND

Vehicle navigation systems typically use position data from a globalpositioning system (GPS) system to determine a vehicle's location. Suchsystems also may include additional sensors such as an odometer orgyroscope to provide dead-reckoning navigation when GPS signals arelacking. In operation, the driver inputs a destination address into thevehicle's navigation system. The navigation system will then calculatethe position of the vehicle and the route to be traveled, and guide thedriver to that destination, using audible and visual instructions. Thedirections are derived from map data accessible to the system (e.g.,stored on hard drive or CD ROM). Some systems integrate trafficinformation into the directions provided, thereby allowing the user toselect less congested routes.

Such navigation systems, while helpful, are associated with a number ofproblems. One such problem is that many conventional navigation systemsare not adaptive, and continue to make the same mistakes or otherwiseprovide undesirable directions repeatedly. For example, assume that aroad called El Camino Real is slow (e.g., many traffic lights). Aconventional navigation system, however, understands this road to befast because it is also a numbered state route (CA Route 82), andtherefore includes it in driving directions whenever possible, despitethe driver's continued frustration with use of that route.

Some more advanced navigation systems can determine a driver's averageroad speed for roads frequently traversed, so that estimated traveltimes can be calculated. Other navigation systems can learn frequentlydriven routes, so that minimal instruction can be given for those routes(thereby distracting the driver less). Although such navigation systemsprovide additional driver support, they are still not sufficientlyadaptive.

For instance, such systems fail to consider changes over time (e.g.,rush-hour vs. weekend) and under different conditions (e.g., when roadis under construction, different weather conditions, driver is in ahurry, local stadium event just ended, etc). In addition, conventionalsystems fail to consider multiple route attributes simultaneously; nordo they consider multiple conditions. Moreover, some such systemsaggregate information from all users (as opposed to an individual user).These aggregate-based systems typically require a common infrastructureto be built (a centralized traffic database or server), and depend ongetting a “critical mass” of early adopters for successful deployment.In addition, while such aggregated systems provide representativecoverage, they fail to consider the relevance of personal drivinghistory (e.g., the extent to which the individual driver departs fromthe mean in terms of driving style, preferences, and road knowledge).

What is needed, therefore, are adaptive navigation techniques.

SUMMARY

One embodiment of the present invention is a method for generatingdirections for use in navigation during a current driving session. Themethod includes receiving a route request from a user (the requestincluding a target destination), generating a set of candidate routes(with each route including one or more segments), computing a score foreach candidate route based on one or more attribute models learned fromprevious user driving sessions, and providing at least one scored routeto the user. In one particular case, at least one of the attributemodels provides a summary statistic of attribute values that have beenobserved during driving sessions on a particular segment. The method mayfurther include receiving current time and user location data for use intime-sensitive route generation. In another particular case, computing ascore for each candidate route based on one or more attribute modelslearned from previous user driving sessions includes accessing (for atarget attribute of a candidate route) one or more conditional variantmodels associated with the target attribute, and probabilisticallydetermining which of the one or more conditional variant models to applyto the current driving session. In one such case, probabilisticallydetermining which of the one or more conditional variant models to applyincludes determining if a conditional variant corresponds to an explicitor implicit condition. In response to the conditional variantcorresponding to an explicit condition, the method may include assigninga probability of 1 to a conditional variant model that corresponds tothe explicit condition, and assigning a probability of 0 to otherconditional variant models associated with the target attribute. Inresponse to the conditional variant corresponding to an implicitcondition, the method may include assigning a probability to eachconditional variant model associated with the target attribute, usingBayesian reasoning and observed data of the current driving session. Themethod may further include recomputing probabilities periodically duringthe current driving session, using subsequently observed data of thecurrent driving session. In another particular case, computing a scorefor each candidate route further includes computing a value of thetarget attribute based on a conditional variant model having a highestprobability of being applicable to the current driving session. Inanother particular case, computing a score for each candidate routefurther includes predicting a value for the target attribute using acombination of the conditional variant models for the attribute. Themethod may include assigning an attribute weight to each targetattribute of each candidate route, based on attribute preferences of theuser. In one such case, computing a score for each candidate routeincludes computing the score using target attribute values computedusing the one or more attribute models, and the attribute weights. Themethod may further include adjusting the attribute weights based onsubsequent user input. In one particular case, the method includessorting the candidate routes based on their scores. Here, providing atleast one scored route to the user includes providing a plurality ofhigh scoring routes for user selection. The method may further includereceiving a selected route from the user, and determining if theattribute weights need to be adjusted based on that user selection. Inresponse to the attribute weights needing to be adjusted based on thatuser selection, the method may further include adjusting the attributeweights based on the user selection. The one or more attribute modelsmodel, for example, different road attributes and/or a common roadattribute under different conditions. The road attributes may include,for instance, road speeds, road safety, user-favored roads, anduser-disfavored roads. The different conditions may include, forexample, inclement weather, favorable weather, time of day, and time ofweek.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides one or moremachine-readable mediums (e.g., one or more compact disks, diskettes,servers, memory sticks, or hard drives) encoded with instructions, thatwhen executed by one or more processors, cause the processor to carryout a process for generating directions for use in navigation during acurrent driving session. This process can be, for example, similar to ora variation of the previously described method.

Another embodiment of the present invention provides a system forgenerating directions for use in navigation during a current drivingsession. The system functionality can be implemented with a number ofmeans, such as software (e.g., executable instructions encoded on one ormore computer-readable mediums), hardware (e.g., gate level logic or oneor more ASICs), firmware (e.g., one or more microcontrollers with I/Ocapability and embedded routines for carrying out the functionalitydescribed herein), or some combination thereof.

The features and advantages described herein are not all-inclusive and,in particular, many additional features and advantages will be apparentto one of ordinary skill in the art in view of the figures anddescription. Moreover, it should be noted that the language used in thespecification has been principally selected for readability andinstructional purposes, and not to limit the scope of the inventivesubject matter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an adaptive navigation system configured inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an attribute model learning module of theadaptive navigation system of FIG. 1 , configured in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a method for generating attribute models for use inthe adaptive navigation system of FIG. 1 , in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b illustrate a method for generating driving directionsbased on attribute models, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Navigation techniques are disclosed that are adaptive to changes overtime and changes under other conditions, and personalized to anindividual's driving style, preferences, and road knowledge. Thetechniques can optionally be used in conjunction with data aggregatedfrom multiple users to provide benefits of both individual and groupbased data, if so desired.

General Overview

As a user drives, modelers are employed to develop and maintainattribute models, which effectively capture the driver's personaldriving habits and preferences. Example models include road speedmodels, hazard models, favored route models, and disfavored routemodels. Other attributes associated with user's driving experiences canbe modeled as well, whether based on the user's personal driving data ordriving data aggregated from a number of users. In one particularembodiment, each of the modelers is configured to learn not just onemodel for an attribute, but rather a plurality of alternate models, witheach alternate corresponding to conditions that impact the attribute insome way. In one such configuration, these conditions can be defined intwo ways: predefined or “explicit” conditions and inferred or “implicit”conditions.

Explicit Conditions: Consider, for example, a road speed modeler that isconfigured to learn four separate models: a morning rush-hour model(e.g., 6:30 am to 9:30 am, Monday through Friday), an evening rush-hourmodel (e.g., 3:30 μm to 6:30 pm, Monday through Friday), mid-day weekdaymodel (e.g., 9:30 am through 3:30 pm, or other non-rush-hour weekdaytimes), and a weekend model. When the road speed modeler collects itsobservations of road speed data, it files them into whichever one of thefour models currently applies (e.g., assuming the system has access today-of-week and time-of-day info). Likewise, when the road speed modelerpredicts travel times, it also uses whichever of the four modelscurrently applies. In this example, the explicit conditions are theday-of-week and time-of-day. Another example of explicit condition isthe particular driver of the car during any one driving session. Here,there can be one attribute model (or set of attribute models) for eachdriver of the car (assuming the system has access to driver ID info).

Implicit conditions: Practically speaking, and continuing with the roadspeed modeler example, there are innumerable conditions that can affectroad speed, such as whether the driver is in a hurry, various weatherconditions, whether a sports or concert event has just ended, whetherthere is an accident or road construction ahead, and so on. The explicitconditions approach is infeasible for handling all of these possiblecircumstances, both because it is difficult to anticipate all of them,and because it is difficult to supply the system with the informationneeded to deduce which condition applies (e.g., as done with day-of-weekand time-of-day, or driver ID info). Thus, a clustering approach can beemployed. This approach starts with mini-models of the attribute ofinterest (such as road speed), each mini-model corresponding to a singledriving session (note that a mini-model may include multiple readswithin each session). The mini-models are merged (“clustered”) togetherif they have similar data, as determined by using a similarity metric.One algorithm for implementing this clustering is hierarchicalagglomerative clustering (HAC). The algorithm produces a set ofconditional variants of an attribute model, each corresponding to somecondition that affects driving (e.g., whether the driver is in a hurry,whether it's raining/snowing, whether it's a holiday, whether there's aslowdown due to an accident/construction ahead, and so on).

Once a set of conditional variants has been inferred/derived orpredefined, which one applies to any given driving session can bedetermined. This process is relatively straightforward with explicitconditions, because explicit rules are predefined (e.g., this is thevariant to be used weekdays M-F, from 6:30 am to 9:30 am). But withimplicit conditions, there are no such rules. Thus, and in accordancewith one particular embodiment of the present invention, probabilisticmodeling with Bayesian updates can be employed. As a new driving sessionis started, a prior probability (or weight) is initially assigned toeach of the N conditions. As driving proceeds, observations arecollected about driving speeds (or application of the brakes, orwhatever other driving events are relevant to the attribute model atissue). Each time an observation is collected, a determination iseffectively made as to how consistent is that observation with each ofthe N conditions. A Bayesian update of the probability (or weight) isperformed on each of the N conditions accordingly. Thus, at any momentin time, there is a set of probabilities (or weights), one weight percondition, that indicates how likely it is that a particular conditionin fact applies to the current driving session. Recall that in theexplicit conditions case, it is known with certainty which conditionapplies (e.g., if it is Wednesday at 7:30 am, then the “rush hour”condition applies). In the implicit conditions case, there is only aprobability on each condition (e.g., 0.8 for the “rainy weather”condition, and 0.2 for the “dry weather” condition). In this examplecase, the rainy weather attribute model can be used (based on the higherweight currently assigned to the “rainy weather” condition relative tothe weight currently assigned to the “dry weather” condition). Inaddition, when predicting travel time of a proposed route, the systemcan combine the travel time predictions of the rainy-weather anddry-weather conditional variants of the road speed model, using aweighted average with probabilities 0.8 and 0.2. Note that this is acase of using multiple conditional variants of an attribute model toevaluate an attribute.

In addition to, or as an alternative, each candidate route that could beused to guide the user to a target destination can be scored fordesirability based on a combination of that route's attributes (e.g.,fastest and most scenic route, or fastest non-highway route), where anappropriate weight is learned for each route attribute based on userfeedback. Learning the attribute weights can be achieved usingtechniques for learning a ranking metric. For example, if the top threeroute choices are presented to the user according to currentdesirability scores, and the user chooses route #2 or #3, then theattribute weights are adjusted to favor the selected route relative tothe routes that precede it in the initial ordering. Attributes mayinclude, for instance, road speed, road familiarity, road safety,disfavored roads, scenic quality, road length, road type (e.g., highwayvs. local road), or any other attribute that could affect a user's routepreference. Note that modeling is not needed for all of these attributes(e.g., road length data can be pre-supplied; therefore, it is notnecessary to learn models of it or conditional variants of the model).

Models for several attributes (e.g., such as road speed, roadfamiliarity, road safety, and disfavored roads) can be learned whilecontemporaneously learning conditional variants of each attributeseparately. For example, conditional variants of a road-safety attributemodel can be learned, which may correspond to a “wet weather”road-safety model, and a “dry weather” road-safety model. It will beappreciated that such a conditional variants approach can be applied toall attributes (i.e., not specific to just road speeds).

Thus, one embodiment of the present invention provides a navigationsystem configured for inferring conditional variants of road attributemodels and reasoning probabilistically from them, and learning to usemultiple route attributes to compute an overall route desirabilityscore. In general, the system can be implemented, for example, with anattribute model learner function, a route finder function, and adesirability metric learner function, along with other conventionalnavigation system functions. The attribute model learner function isconfigured to learn an attribute in the form of a set of conditionalvariants. This function can be carried out off-line (e.g., in advance ofreceiving a request for directions). The route finder function isconfigured to generate an ordered list of routes from point A to point Band lets the user pick one. The desirability metric learner function isconfigured to learn a set of weights on the attributes, and defines anoverall “desirability” metric for routes. Each of the route finderfunction and the desirability metric learner function can be carried outon-line (e.g., in response to a request for directions). The off-linefunctional component involves applying the attribute model learner toone or more attributes used for choosing a route (e.g., road speed, roadsafety, scenicness of route, disfavored roads). The on-line functionalcomponent involves finding a route, and subsequently adjusting thedesirability metric based on which route the user selected from the listof routes presented. Note that the off-line functional component can(and should) be re-applied periodically, as the system accumulates moredriving sessions during normal operation.

System Architecture

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an adaptive navigation system configured inaccordance with one embodiment of the present invention.

As can be seen, the system includes a GPS receiver 101, a dead-reckoningsensor 103, a location detector module 105, an attribute model learningmodule 107, a map data storage 109, a route generator module 111, anattribute weighting module 113, a display/audio module 115, and a userinterface module 117. The system may also include one or more othersensors (generally referred to as other sensors 102). The system can beused, for example, in a vehicle such as a car, truck, taxi, bus, andother such moving vehicles. Although such examples favor land-basednavigation, the same principles can be applied to water-based (e.g.,vessels) and air-based (e.g., airplanes) navigation, if so desired.

The GPS receiver 101 is configured for receiving GPS signals, and can beimplemented with conventional technology. As is known, GPS satellitesbroadcast precise timing signals by radio frequency to the GPS receiver101. This allows GPS receiver 101 to accurately determine their currentlocation (longitude, latitude, and altitude). This determination can bemade in real-time, and in any weather conditions. The GPS receiver 101receives the GPS timing signals, and outputs the current time andcorresponding location data (e.g., geometric coordinates x, y, z) of thevehicle (or other guided entity). The time and location data is thenprovided to each of the learning module 107 and the location detectormodule 105.

The dead-reckoning sensor 103 is configured for detecting the vehicle'srelative location and direction of movement, based on previous locationdata. This sensor 103 can be implemented with conventional technology.For instance, the dead-reckoning sensor 103 may include a sensor formeasuring travel distance (e.g., speedometer, accelerometer, odometer),and a sensor for measuring a rotation angle (e.g., gyroscope,geomagnetic sensor). Thus, the dead-reckoning sensor 103 senses thevelocity and direction of vehicle movement, and provides that data toeach of the learning module 107 and the location detector module 105.

Note that other sensors 102 may also be included to provide data to thelearning module 107 and/or the location detector module 105. These othersensors may include, for example, vehicle performance sensors (e.g.,speedometer, accelerometer, decelerometer, horn-use sensor, brakingsensor, turn-radius sensor based on steering wheel position, etc),proximity sensors (e.g., IR transceivers for sensing close traffic andpossibly dangerous roadways such as narrow underpasses or parkingramps), weather and atmospheric sensors (e.g., thermometer, barometer,visibility/fog sensors, snow/ice sensors, etc). Further note that suchother sensors 102 may be integral to the GPS receiver 101 and/ordead-reckoning sensor 103, or may exist as independently from receiver101 sensor 103.

The map data storage 109 stores digital map data that can be used toguide the user, and can be implemented with conventional technology. Asis typically done, a map of the area covered by the navigation system isdivided into sections of a predetermined size. Map information (e.g.,roads, intersections, etc) is displayed by the use of nodes and links ineach of the map sections. In other embodiments, data storage 109 storesraw map data (e.g., Navteq and/or Teleatlas data), and further includesan API that draws the corresponding map for display, in real-time.Numerous known map data storage and/or drawing techniques can beemployed. As will be apparent in light of this disclosure, the storage109 may also store other information used in the attribute modellearning and/or route generation processes. Such other information mayinclude, for example, attribute estimate rules, attribute weights thatspecify the relative importance of each attribute in determining overallroute desirability for the particular user, sensor data, userpreferences, etc.

The location detector module 105 is programmed or otherwise configuredto retrieve map data of the target area from storage 109, based on thevehicle's location as indicated by the GPS receiver 101 and thedead-reckoning sensor 103, and to perform map-matching. As is known,map-matching uses digital map data and GPS data to locate a vehicle onthe proper position relative to the digital map. This map-matchingprocess helps to compensate for error associated with measurements madeby the GPS receiver 101 and/or dead-reckoning sensor 103. Any number ofconventional map-matching algorithms can be employed by the locationdetector module 105.

The attribute model learning module 107 is programmed or otherwiseconfigured to receive data from each of the GPS receiver 101,dead-reckoning sensor 103, and any other suitable sensors 102, as wellas optional user input and/or feedback, and to compute models of variousattributes associated with the user's driving experiences. In oneparticular embodiment, the modeled attributes include road speed,favored routes, disfavored routes, and hazardous routes. An attributemodel is derived from one or more driving sessions, and in accordancewith one particular embodiment, includes a mapping from road segment toattribute value and an estimate of the attribute value for “unseen” roadsegments (segments not yet actually traveled on by the user). Themapping only covers road segments that have been traversed at least oncein the driving sessions from which the model was derived, and gives asummary statistic (such as mean or median or other suitable statistic)of the attribute values that have been observed in other drivingsessions for that segment. The estimate of the attribute value forunseen road segments can be a default value, such as summary statistic(e.g., mean or median or other suitable statistic) over all segments inthe model, or only over segments that are similar to the road segmentfor which the system is trying to estimate a value (e.g., only over4-lane highways).

Example input (or otherwise available data) to the learning module 107includes the name of the attribute for which to learn models, a set ofdriving sessions, one or more attribute estimation rules for estimatinga value of the desired attribute from sensor measurements (e.g., wherethe value is either directly measured, or inferred from one or moremeasurements), and a similarity metric for comparing two models of theattribute. Each of driving sessions includes a set of measurementsrelevant to the desired attribute (e.g., driving speeds to learn a roadspeed attribute model). The measurements are taken along the routetraversed in that driving session by sensors such as GPS receiver 101,dead-reckoning sensor 103, and other sensors, such as vehicleperformance sensors (e.g., braking, accelerating, speed, etc), proximitysensors (e.g., closeness to other vehicles and roadway objects, etc),and weather and atmospheric sensors (e.g., temperature, rain, ice, snow,etc), as previously explained. The attribute estimation rules (which canbe stored in storage 109, for example) may be identity rules or morecomplex rules, depending on the particular attribute. For example, forthe attribute of road speed, an identity rule applies, where themeasurement is road speed (e.g., as measured by a speedometer or othersuitable means), and the desired attribute is road speed. For roadsafety, the attribute estimation rule or rules are more complex and use,for instance, a scoring system to estimate road safety from “observable”(via operation of sensors) events such as skids, short stops, consistentbraking, brake pumping over longer distances, weather conditions,traffic conditions, and slow driving. The similarity metric can beencoded in the learning module 107 itself, and compares two models basedprimarily on road segments for which they both have mapped values, butif there is insufficient overlap between the two models, then thesimilarity metric may compare road segments for which one or both modelsonly has an estimate of the attribute value. The similarity metric alsohas the option of returning “unknown” as the similarity between twomodels if they have insufficient overlap.

Example output of the learning module 107 is a set of statistical modelsfor each modeled attribute. Each model is a “conditional variant” thatmodels the target attribute under an explicit or implicit condition. Anexample explicit condition is: active time of model is between 6:30 amand 9:30 am M-F (i.e., rush hour). An example implicit condition is: thesystem is provided with a set of driving sessions of road speed data,and the learning module 107 forms two groups, one corresponding todriving in rainy conditions and one corresponding to driving in dryconditions. As will be apparent in light of this disclosure, the systemdoes not realize that the two conditional variants are correlated withweather conditions; rather, the system merely notices that the roadspeed patterns fall into two distinct groups.

Thus, the learning module 107 can learn an attribute model, in the forma set of conditional variants of the model. In addition, the learningmodule 107 develops and refines the attribute models as the user drives,thereby effectively creating robust personal driving models for theuser. Further, note that each user of the vehicle can have his or herown set of models. The attribute model learning module 107 will bediscussed in further detail with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3 .

The route generator module 111 is programmed or otherwise configured toreceive or otherwise access attribute models from the learning module107 and location/timing data from the location detector module 105, aswell as a target destination from the user interface 117, and to computeone or more routes to that target destination. The computed routes arethen provided to the user via the display/audio module 115. Each of theuser interface 117 and the display/audio module 115 can be implementedusing conventional data entry and output interfaces (e.g., keyboard,touchpad, and/or voice recognition for facilitating input by user; and adisplay and/or verbal commands for facilitating output by the system).In addition, the route generator 111 can be configured to effectivelycombine the various attribute models (e.g., road speed, road hazards,etc) into an overall score that represents the quality or desirabilityof a given route (based on the user's personal driving habits asreflected in the models). In this sense, the route generator 111generates a number of route choices for the user, and then picks orsuggests the best one of those routes for that particular user.

Example input to the route generator module 111 includes a targetdestination, a set of attribute models, current driving session data,attribute estimation rules, and a set of attribute weights. The set ofattribute models is generated by the learning module 107 (e.g.,generated during one or more off-line learning sessions). As previouslyexplained, each attribute may have a set of models for conditionalvariants of that attribute (e.g., road speed model for rush-hour and aroad speed model for weekends). The current driving session data is aset of measurements taken during the driving session so far (up to thepoint where the user is asking for directions). The measurements can betaken by sensors such as GPS receiver 101, dead-reckoning sensor 103,and other sensors 102 previously discussed (e.g., performance sensors,proximity sensors, and atmospheric sensors). Such driving session datacan be used to help determine which conditional variant of eachapplicable attribute model to use. The attribute estimation rules arefor estimating a value for the desired attribute from the measurements,and can be the same rules used by the learning module 107. These rulesare used by the route generator module 111 to convert the sensormeasurements in the driving session so far into attribute values. Theset of attribute weights specify the relative importance of eachattribute in overall route desirability for the particular user. In thisexample embodiment, the set of weights is learned by the attributeweighting module 113, as will be explained in turn.

Example output of the route generator module 111 includes a list ofcandidate routes from point A (e.g., user's current position) to B(e.g., target destination input by user), sorted by decreasingdesirability. The route generator module 111 may also output a routefrom A to B, selected by the user from the candidate routes. Recall thatthe route ultimately selected by the user may be different from theroute having the highest desirability score. The route generator 111will be discussed in further detail with reference to FIGS. 4 a and 4 b.

The attribute weighting module 113 is programmed or otherwise configuredto learn a set of attribute weights that provided to the route generatormodule 111 for combining the different attributes into an overall metricfor estimating desirability of a route. Example input to the attributeweighting module 113 includes a set of attribute weights (one for eachattribute used so far), a list of candidate routes, and the routeultimately selected by the user. Initially, the attribute weights areset to default values that capture the relative importance of thedifferent attributes in the general population of drivers (e.g., highweight on road speed, moderate weight on route simplicity, moderateweight on route safety). These attribute weights can be stored, forexample, in the module 113 itself or in storage 109 (or in some othersuitable storage), and are refined as attribute desirability learningoccurs based on user input. The list of candidate routes is sorted bydecreasing desirability score, as produced by the route generator module111. Example output of the attribute weighting module 113 includes adefault set of attribute weights or a modified set of attribute weights(based on actual route selections by user) to use in the future.

In operation, once learning module 107 has learned models of severaldifferent attributes (e.g., road speed, preferences, road hazards, etc),they can be effectively combined into an overall score of thedesirability of a given route, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention. This combining can be carried out, for example, bythe route generator module 111 or some other dedicated route scoringmodule. In one particular embodiment, the form for such a route score isa linear combination. In one such case, the desirability score for router is computed by the route generator module 111 as follows:Score_(r)=SUM w_(i) x_(i). Here, i represents a particular attribute andis a number in the range of 1 to I, where I equals the total number ofroute attributes; x_(i) represents values of the attributes of route r(e.g., the length of the route, the expected travel time of the route,the hazard level of the route, user familiarity with the route, userfondness/dislike of the route, average user speed on the route, and soon); and w_(i) represents the attribute weights that are learned bymodule 113 based on user input/action.

The problem of learning the attribute weights w_(i) from examples can bethought of as learning a ranking metric. In one embodiment of thepresent invention, the attribute weighting module 113 employs a gradientdescent technique. In more detail, the technique begins with setting theattribute weights to default values. Each candidate route (generated bythe route generator module 111) is scored using these initial attributeweights in accordance with the Score_(r) formula. The top Nhighest-scoring routes can then be presented to the user (e.g., assumethere are three high-scoring routes: #1, #2, and #3). If the userselects route #1, then there is nothing to learn. However, if the userselects, for example, route #3, then a number of preferences can belearned. For instance, in this particular example, it is now known thatthe user prefers route #3 over both route #1 and route #2.

With this learned information, the attribute weighting module 113 canconstruct a new attribute vector d, by taking the attribute vector forroute #3 and subtracting the attribute vector for route #1. If thedesirability score is then applied to vector d, it will give a negativescore (because #1 outscores #3). The learning carried out by theattribute weighting module 113 is to adjust the weights w_(i) so as toreduce the negativity of this score. For each attribute x_(i) that islarger for route #3 than for route #1, its weight w_(i) is increased inthe Score_(r) formula. For each attribute x_(i) that is smaller forroute #3 than for route #1, its weight w_(i) is decreased in theScore_(r) formula. In this way, the score assigned by the Score_(r)formula to route #3 is increased relative to the score assigned by theScore_(r) formula to route #1.

Various techniques can be used by the attribute weighting module 113 todetermine the amount by which the weights are adjusted. In general, thelarger the margin between the desirability scores of route #3 and route#1, the greater the adjustment. In one particular embodiment, anattribute weight is updated by the following equation:w′_(i)=w_(i)+[gamma*corr], where: w′_(i) is the adjusted weight; w_(i)is the original weight; gamma is the learning rate, a positive scalarthat determines how radically the weights are tuned; and corr is acorrection factor related to the margin between the desirability scoresof the two routes, where corr=(Score_(r) ^(#1)−Score_(r) ^(#3))(attribute x_(i) ^(#3)−attribute x_(i) ^(#1)).

Consider the following example. Assume:

-   -   x_(i) ^(#3)=value of attribute x_(i) for preferred route #3=10;    -   Score_(r) ^(#3)=desirability score of route #3=200;    -   x_(i) ^(#1)=value of attribute x_(i) for non-preferred route        #1=2;    -   Score_(r) ^(#1)=desirability score of route #1=280;    -   weight w_(i)=16; and    -   gamma=1.0.

Then:

-   -   w′_(i)=w_(i)+[gamma*corr]    -   w′_(i)=16+[1.0*((280−200)/10−2)]    -   w′_(i)=16+10    -   w′_(i)=26

Recalling the desirability Score_(r)=SUM w_(i) x_(i), this increase inw_(i) by 10 will in turn increase Score_(r)#³ by 10*x_(i)#³=10*10=100,while increasing Score_(r)#¹ by 10*x_(i)#¹=10*2=20, for a net increaseof 80 in Score_(r) ^(#3). This is just enough to bring Score_(r)#³ intoequality with Score_(r)#¹. If gamma had been less than 1.0, thenScore_(r)#³ would not have caught up to Score_(r)#¹; and if gamma hadbeen greater than 1.0, it would have surpassed Score_(r)#¹.

As with the other forms of learning discussed herein, this learningprocess could allow for manual overrides by way of user feedback/input(e.g., a driver could explicitly specify the importance of differentattributes in route selection). The process of generating drivingdirections based on the attribute models and attribute weights isfurther discussed with reference to FIGS. 4 a and 4 b.

Attribute Model Learning Module

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the attribute model learning module 107 ofthe adaptive navigation system of FIG. 1 , configured in accordance withone embodiment of the present invention.

As can be seen, the attribute model learning module 107 includes a roadspeed modeler 201, a favored route modeler 203, a disfavored routemodeler 205, a hazard modeler 207, a map data update module 209, and amodel storage 211. Each of the illustrated components can be implementedin software (e.g., C, C++, Java, or other suitable programming language)that executes on a processor. However, other embodiments could beimplemented, for example, in hardware (such as in gate level logic orASIC), or firmware (e.g., microcontroller configured with I/O capabilityfor receiving data from external sources and a number of routines forimplementing learning functions as described herein), or somecombination thereof. In addition, note that the modules are shown asseparate for purposes of illustration, and that other embodiments mayhave the various functionalities or sub-sets thereof integrated into asingle module. Numerous configurations will be apparent in light of thisdisclosure.

The road speed modeler 201 is programmed or otherwise configured tolearn one or more models of a driver's road speeds. In more detail, acar navigation system is already aware of a vehicle's position via theGPS receiver 101 and/or dead-reckoning sensor 103. The road speedmodeler 201 can therefore empirically measure average speed alongdifferent road segments, and gradually build up an empirical model ofroad speed. Alternatively, the road speed modeler 201 can use othersensors, such as a speedometer to build the road speed model. In anycase, the navigation system can then attempt to give “fastest route”directions based on learned data. Note that this model is customized notonly to particular roads and their idiosyncrasies (e.g., speed bumps,school zones, etc), but also to a particular driver's driving style. Ifa driver drives at 70 mph on route 101, modeler 201 will learn thatroute 101 is much faster than local roads for that driver. Road segmentsare the atomic units for which road speeds can be learned. A roadsegment can be defined as a transition from one stretch of road toanother (e.g., from the middle of one city block to the middle of thenext block). For instance, entering a four-way intersection, there areup to four such transitions from the vehicle's starting point (gostraight, left turn, right turn, and U-turn). This allows transitiontime to be captured in the road-segment data, which often accounts for asignificant proportion of travel time in city driving.

In one particular embodiment, the road speed modeler 201 is configuredto learn not just one aggregate road model, but rather a plurality ofalternate models, with each alternate model corresponding to explicitand/or implicit conditions. As previously explained, explicit conditions(e.g., such as time of day, day of week, driver ID, and other relativelypredictable or otherwise consistent conditions) can be hard coded orotherwise “predefined” into the road speed modeler 201 (or othermodelers), so that alternate models are provided (e.g., morningrush-hour model, evening rush-hour model, mid-day weekday model, andweekend model). When the road speed modeler 201 collects itsobservations of road speed data, it files them into whichever one of thealternate models currently applies (based on the predefined/explicitcondition that is satisfied). With regard to implicit conditions, theroad speed modeler 201 can be configured for learning an open-ended setof alternate road speed models, each corresponding to some conditionthat affects driving (e.g., whether the driver is in a hurry, whetherit's raining/snowing, whether it's a holiday, whether there's a slowdowndue to an accident or construction ahead, and so on). In one suchembodiment, clustering is used to form the alternate models. Forexample, and as previously explained, the well-known technique ofhierarchical agglomerative clustering (HAC) can be used. In one suchconfiguration, one “mini-model” of road speed is constructed for eachindividual driving session, where a driving session is the interval fromturning the engine on to turning it off. The road speed modeler 201further defines a similarity metric that measures the degree ofsimilarity between two mini-models of road speed by comparing, forexample, the smoothed distribution of road speeds on each road segmentthat is in common between the two models. Two distributions may becompared using any known measure of distribution distance, such asKullback-Leibler (KL) distance. If two mini-models have little or nooverlap, their similarity is undefined. At each step of HAC, the pair ofmini-models that are most similar to each other are identified by thesimilarity metric. The two mini-models can then be merged by poolingtheir data. This process is continued for available road speedmini-model pairs until a stopping criterion is reached. For example, ifthere is no pair of mini-models remaining whose similarity is above apre-set threshold. Upon satisfaction of the stopping criterion, a set ofalternate models representing distinct road speed conditions remain.

These alternate road speed models effectively capture differences due topredefined/explicit conditions (e.g., such as which family member isdriving the car, time of day, day of week, etc) as well asinferred/implicit conditions that are not explicitly known to thenavigation system (e.g., whether the driver is in a hurry, whether it'sraining/snowing, whether it's a holiday, whether there's a slowdown dueto an accident/construction ahead, and so on). As will be appreciated inlight of this disclosure, other attribute modelers such as the favoredroute modeler 203 and hazard modeler 207, can be configured to provide aset of alternate models, with each alternate corresponding to apredefined or inferred condition.

The one or more road speed models learned by the road speed modeler 201are stored in the model storage 211, and can be applied to futurenavigation sessions in a variety of ways. Once a set of conditionalvariants has been produced, which one applies to any given drivingsession can be determined. As previously explained, this process isrelatively straightforward with predefined conditions, because explicitrules are used (e.g., this is the variant to be used weekdays M-F, from6:30 am to 9:30 am). But with inferred conditions, there are no suchrules. Thus, and in accordance with one particular embodiment of thepresent invention, the road speed modeler 201 employs probabilisticmodeling with Bayesian updates. In more detail, as a new driving sessionis started, a prior probability (or weight) is initially assigned toeach of the N inferred conditions. As driving proceeds, the road speedmodeler 201 collects observations about driving speeds (or applicationof the brakes, or whatever other driving events are relevant to theattribute model at issue). Each time an observation is collected by theroad speed modeler 201, a determination is made as to how consistent isthat observation with each of the N inferred conditions. The road speedmodeler 201 performs a Bayesian update of the probability (or weight) oneach of the N conditions accordingly. Thus, at any moment in time, thereis a set of probabilities (or weights), one weight per condition, thatindicates how likely it is that a particular condition in fact appliesto the current driving session. This set of condition weights can bestored, for example, along with the road speed models in the storage211. The route generator module 111 can then reason probabilisticallyfrom those weights when generating route candidates. For instance,assume a “rainy weather” condition has a weight of 0.8, and a “dryweather” condition has a weight of 0.2. In this example case, the rainyweather road speed model can be used as opposed to the alternate dryweather road speed model (based on the higher weight currently assignedto the “rainy weather” condition relative to the weight currentlyassigned to the “dry weather” condition). In addition, when predictingtravel time of a proposed route, the route generator module 111 cancombine the travel time predictions of the rainy-weather and dry-weatherconditional variants of the road speed model, using a weighted averagewith weights 0.8 and 0.2, thereby using multiple conditional variants ofthe road speed model to evaluate travel time.

This Bayesian scheme may be further varied, as will be apparent in lightof this disclosure. For example, the change in probabilities (weights)can be capped at a predefined time step (e.g., every N seconds) toreduce instabilities in the system. Also, changing or otherwisemanipulating the probabilities early on in the driving session can alsobe employed, until enough data is gathered to be confident about whichlearned model best applies. Note that in addition to using the learnedroad speed models to improve route-finding, they can also be used tomore accurately predict travel times (e.g., for use in an “estimatedtravel time” or “ETA” display). In addition, recall that Bayesianreasoning requires a training set; namely, a set of attribute values andthe implicit condition to which they have been assigned. For instance,if the implicit conditions are rainy weather and dry weather, and it hasbeen observed that so far, the driver is averaging 35 mph over a givenroad segment, then a training set can be used to indicate whether anaverage speed of 35 mph on that road segment is more indicative of rainyweather or dry weather. Such a training set is provided, for example, bythe set of driving sessions that were previously clustered into therainy weather condition and the dry weather condition as explainedherein.

The road speed modeler 201 may also receive optional user input and/orfeedback relevant to road speeds. Such optional input can be used tocorrect or otherwise adjust, for example, road speeds learned duringanomaly conditions (e.g., traffic accident) that do not reflect thetypical speeds for a given road at a given time. In one such embodiment,the road speed modeler 201 uses the optional user input/feedback totrump and replace any previous learning for the particular roadassociated with the optional input. Alternatively, the road speedmodeler 201 factors the optional user input/feedback into the existingmodel just as any other additional road speed data is integrated, asdescribed herein. In such a case, the user can effectively bias thelearned models as desired.

The favored route modeler 203 is programmed or otherwise configured tolearn one or more models of road familiarity. In particular, the favoredroute modeler 203 observes which roads are frequently traversed,especially when the user is driving without using the navigation system(e.g., observation mode, as opposed to navigation mode ornavigation-observation mode). The route generator module 111 can thenuse this road familiarity model to favor roads with which the user isfamiliar when providing directions (effectively penalizing less familiarroads). Thus, the system is capable of providing directions based onmore than just a minimal driving time goal, unlike conventional systems.The favored route modeler 203 enables, for example, a more complex routefinding function that can reduce the probability of the driver making awrong turn and/or expending additional cognitive effort. Note that thefavored route modeler 203 may also enable the route generator module 111to provide route selections with fewer turns (assuming the driver'spreferred routes have fewer turns). In a similar fashion, the favoredroute modeler 203 may also enable the route generator module 111 toprovide more scenic route selections with (assuming the driver'spreferred routes are scenic). Other such benefits and/or features of thefavored route modeler 203 will be apparent in light of this disclosure.

The favored route modeler 203 also enables summarized directions. Inmore detail, the navigation system “knows” (based on informationprovided by the favored route modeler 203) that the driver is veryfamiliar with a particular highway and how to access that highway whenin a given local area. Assume, for example, that the driver knows how toaccess route 101 when within five miles of a known set of GPScoordinates. The favored route modeler 203, which receives GPScoordinates from GPS receiver 101, would indicate the favored status ofand familiarity with accessing route 101. Favored status and familiaritycan be indicated in a number of ways, such as an unfamiliar road penalty(as previously discussed), a familiar road bonus, and/or a counter thatcounts the number of times a particular road has been traveled in agiven time period (e.g., roads traveled 5 times or more within a 15 to20 day period are given a familiarity bonus). With such familiarity ofroute 101 so identified or otherwise known, directions provided to theuser by the route generator module 111 can be summarized to “Take 101North” since the driver already knows how to access that route from hiscurrent location. Numerous opportunities to provide summarized orconcise directions based on user familiarity are thus enabled. Note,however, that the navigation system can be further configured to breakdown summarized steps into detailed directions at the user's request(e.g., by operation of user interface 117 to allow for the request to bemade and route generator module 111 to provide more detailed directions;alternatively, the detailed directions can automatically be provided tothe user and not displayed unless requested by the user).

The favored route modeler 203 can also receive optional userinput/feedback to allow further customization of the favored routemodels. For example, and in one particular embodiment, roads that arebelieved to be familiar to the user can be displayed in a differentcolor and/or with a “familiar” label (e.g., a heart or star icon or thelike). In one such case, the navigation system allows the user to giveverbal or other feedback (e.g., by operation of the user interface 117)confirming or disconfirming that the road is in fact familiar to him,and/or one that he prefers/disprefers for any reason. Such explicit userfeedback/input can be used to trump any previous learning (for a givenroute or segment) by the favored route modeler 203.

Note that such preferences (as well as road speeds and other modeledattributes discussed herein) will vary from one driver to the next,assuming more than one person drives the vehicle equipped with thenavigation system. Thus, a driver ID mechanism can be implemented toprevent confusing models of one driver with models of another driver. Inone such case, a login mechanism is used where the driver ID is keyedin, spoken, or otherwise entered (e.g., by operation of user interface117). Likewise, the driver ID mechanism could even be automated, forexample, such as an ID mechanism based on a specially configuredignition key, preferred seat and/or mirror settings, and/or a weightsensor in the driver seat (assuming drivers can be distinguished by suchparameters). Such parameters can be received or otherwise interrogatedby a user ID module of the navigation system, and then provided to theroute generator module 111. Any number of identity determination schemes(e.g., biometric sensors that enable touch or voice recognition, or anyother available sensors that uniquely identify an individual driver) canbe employed.

The disfavored route modeler 205 is programmed or otherwise configuredto learn a model of user dislikes. For example, if the navigation systemdirects a user to make a particular turn, and the user consistently doesnot make that turn, then the disfavored route modeler 205 can assign a“disfavored turn” penalty or otherwise indicate a disfavored status ofthat turn so that the route generator 111 will then stop suggesting thatturn (because of its “poor” status in the model). The turn could be, forexample, illegal, difficult, or otherwise undesirable. For instance, thecar might have too large a turning radius to make a particular u-turncomfortably. Other suggested route options that are consistentlyrejected by the user can be assigned a penalty or designated asdisfavored in a similar fashion.

Thus, the favored route modeler 203 is for learning preferences, anddisfavored route modeler 205 is for learning negative preferences (notethat these complementary functionalities can be integrated into a singlemodule if so desired). In one particular embodiment, either or both thefavored route modeler 203 and disfavored route modeler 205 areconfigured to learn while the user is driving without necessarily usingthe navigation system. In this sense, these modules can operate in anobservation mode or an observation-navigation mode. The modelers 203and/or 205 (or other suitable module included in the navigation systemsuch as the route generator module 111) can compare (after the fact) theuser's self-chosen route to a route that would have been suggested bythe navigation system. From this comparison, the modelers 203 and/or 205can systematically learn, for example, to avoid driving certain routes,even though it would have been shorter to go that way.

Like the favored route modeler 203, the disfavored route modeler 205 canalso receive optional user input/feedback to allow further customizationof the disfavored route models. In one such embodiment, the disfavoredroute modeler 205 is further configured to query the user for explicitconfirmation before learning to avoid a road/turn/area. Such explicituser input/feedback would improve accuracy of the navigation system.

Also, and in a similar fashion to that discussed with reference to theroad speed modeler 201, the favored route modeler 203 and/or thedisfavored route modeler 205 can employ clustering techniques to learnfavored route models for different inferred conditions (e.g., weatherconditions, urgency of driver, traffic due toconstruction/accident/event, etc) that are determined by the differentdriving behaviors observed by the system's sensors (e.g., 101, 102,and/or 103). For example, the disfavored route modeler 205 can beconfigured to initially learn a separate disfavored route model for eachdriving session (e.g., system instructs driver to turn left, but he didnot; therefore the road segment corresponding to that left turn gets apenalty within that disfavored route mini-model in the form of a lowvalue). Clustering techniques (e.g., HAC or other such suitabletechnique) can then be applied to these disfavored route mini-models.This clustering may result, for instance, in the formation of twoclusters: one cluster where the driver refuses to make left turns, andanother where he agrees to (and does) make those same left turns. Such adistinction may correspond, for example, to rush-hour vs. not rush-hour(note that the inferred condition can be associated with a more explicitcondition of time). In any case, disfavored and/or favored routemini-models can be clustered into two or more alternate models, whichcan then be applied (as appropriate, depending on condition weights aspreviously discussed) to subsequent driving sessions.

Again, determining which favored/disfavored route model to apply can becomputed by employing probabilistic modeling with Bayesian updates. Inmore detail, as a new driving session is started, the favored routemodeler 203 (and/or the disfavored route modeler 205, if so desired)assigns a prior probability (or weight) to each of the N inferredconditions (e.g., assume there is a sports stadium on the route inquestion and the inferred conditions include a “big event today”condition and a “no big event today” condition). As driving proceeds,the favored route modeler 203 collects observations about speed, braking(or other driving actions relevant to the favored route model). Eachtime an observation is collected by the favored route modeler 203, adetermination is effectively made as to how consistent is thatobservation with each of the N inferred conditions (e.g., slower speedswith significant braking tends to indicate that stadium two miles downthe road is active). The favored route modeler 203 performs a Bayesianupdate of the probability (or weight) on each of the N conditionsaccordingly. Thus, at any moment in time, there is a set ofprobabilities (or weights), one weight per condition, that indicates howlikely it is that a particular condition in fact applies to the currentdriving session. This set of condition weights can be stored, forexample, along with the favored route models in the storage 211. Theroute generator module 111 can then reason probabilistically from thoseweights when generating route candidates. In the stadium example, assumethe “big event today” condition has a weight of 0.9, and the “no bigevent today” condition has a weight of 0.1. In this example case, the“no stadium road” model can be used as opposed to the alternate butnormally preferred “stadium road” model. Thus, the route generatormodule 111 will use the “no stadium road” model, and direct the driverto take the next right turn and along a back street route past thestadium. Note that the user need not know of the stadium or eventschedule. Rather, the system can be programmed, for instance, to knowthe location of all major stadiums and event centers. Thus, the systemwill have explicit conditions (e.g., proximity to stadium and knownevent time) and implicit conditions (e.g., based on slow speed andexcessive braking). Given such conditions, the system can automaticallydetour the driver around the stadium/event traffic.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 , the models generated by the favoredroute modeler 203 and the disfavored route modeler 205 are stored inmodel storage 211. Their respective condition weights can be stored instorage 211, and updated as data becomes available. The models andcondition weights can then be provided to or otherwise accessed by theroute generator module 111, so that personalized and adaptive drivingdirections can be provided to the user.

The hazard modeler 207 is programmed or otherwise configured to learn amodel of hazards. In one such embodiment, the navigation system canidentify potentially hazardous conditions by detecting roads that havenarrow passageways, high traffic volume, and/or an above-averageincidence of avoidance maneuvers, such as sudden stops, skids, swerves,horn-honking, or more severe indicators such as airbag deployments. Forexample, if the navigation system is equipped with sufficientaccelerometers, it could detect roads with a lot of potholes (due tovertical or z-axis acceleration or movement of vehicle). Likewise, thesystem could include braking sensors for detecting braking and anti-lockbrake activation, a horn sensor for sensing use of horn (or other carhorns), swerving sensor (for detecting sudden turns of steering wheel atrelatively high speeds), proximity sensors (for detecting high trafficvolume and narrow passageways), impact sensors, and any other suchsensors 102. The hazard modeler 207 can receive input from availablesystem sensors, and assign roads believed to be hazardous (based onreceived sensor data) a hazard penalty. Alternatively, or in additionto, hazard modeler 207 can track road speed for use when the user isdriving slowly. For example, if the user is driving unusually slow(e.g., at a speed 2 standard deviations below the normal speed), and isbrake-pumping and/or activating the antilock brakes more often thanusual on a given road, then that road segment's hazard level can beincreased in the hazard model. As will be explained in turn, such modeldata may be particularly helpful for future route selection duringinclement weather (e.g., last time it snowed, the antilock brake featureactivated well-above the normal activation level for this particularroute; therefore, avoid suggesting this route during inclement weather).The resulting hazard model is stored in the model storage 211. The routegenerator module 111 will then avoid hazardous roads indicated by themodel when finding directions.

Also, and just as with other modelers discussed herein, the hazardmodeler 207 can be configured to learn models of various explicitconditions, such as rush-hour hazard model (which tends to avoid routesthat include high traffic volume during rush hour, where rear-endcollisions are frequent). Likewise, the hazard modeler 207 can beconfigured to learn models of various implicit conditions, by noticingthat such conditions are correlated with observable conditions. Forexample, the hazard modeler 207 may end up learning one hazard model forsnowy conditions, and an alternate hazard model for dry conditions. Insuch a case, as soon as it is determined that the driver is drivingconsistently slower than usual in conjunction with defensive braking(e.g., brake pumping over longer braking distances) in accordance withthe snowy condition hazard model, a Bayesian update method as previouslydescribed can operate to assign more weight on the snowy conditionhazard model learned, and will make future road choices (e.g., and issuedriving warnings) accordingly. Clustering techniques and similaritymetrics can be used here as well, as previously described. For instance,the hazard modeler 207 can initially learn a hazard mini-model for eachdriving session, and group the mini-models together based on asimilarity metric.

The navigation system may further include reporting capabilities. Forexample, the hazard modeler 207 (or a dedicated reporting module havingaccess to models stored in storage 211) could automatically reportsevere potholes to the city where the pothole was encountered. In onesuch case, once a pothole is detected, the navigation system canauto-dial a cell phone (e.g., integrated into the system, or docked inthe system by the user) and deliver a “hazard message.” The hazardmessage can be, for example: “Pothole at Main and 17^(th) Street” asarticulated by the driver, or a voice generation module that receivesGPS coordinates of the pothole from the GPS receiver 101. Alternatively,the hazard message can be a computer generated code (e.g., a series ofpulse tones of the cell phone). In one such case, the code is selectedfrom a pre-established set of codes included in a reporting program forthe area (e.g., local, regional, or national reporting program sponsoredby government).

If the driver is driving aggressively on a road segment that thenavigation system knows is hazardous (based on the learning of hazardmodeler 207), the navigation system can be further configured to warn(e.g., by a gentle beep or pre-recorded voice message of: “this road hasbeen reported as hazardous” or “you are driving at above-average speedsfor this particular road”). The user could disable such warnings frombeing issued if so desired, or dismiss one particular warning thatcontinues to be delivered during a driving session. In general, suchwarnings could be fully configurable by the user.

The map update module 209 is programmed or otherwise configured to learnmap updates. In more detail, if the navigation system observes (based ondata GPS receiver 101) that the driver is driving along a non-road(e.g., according to map data in storage 109), the map update module 209can learn that there is a road there. The road may be, for example, anew road or a road that simply has not been previously documented inavailable map data. In some cases, the map update module 209 can alsolearn about the removal or reconstruction of a road or other routeattribute as well. For instance, if the map update module 209 observesthat the driver is accelerating up to 65 mph to get onto a freeway 200feet later than where module 209 thought the on-ramp was (e.g., based ondata received by module 209 from GPS receiver 101), and the driver nevertakes the on-ramp that it thought was there, then it is probably safe toinfer that the on-ramp has been reconstructed. In the embodiment shown,the user can provide optional user feedback/input to the map updatemodule 209 to directly indicate such new roads or changed routeconditions. Such user provided data can be stored in storage 211 foraccess by the route generator module 111 and/or integrated into the mapdata in the map data storage 109. In addition, the navigation system canbe configured to report updates back to the mapping company (e.g., byoperation of a reporting module, or by user feedback to the mappingcompany).

Attribute Model Generation Methodology

FIG. 3 illustrates a method for generating attribute models for use inthe adaptive navigation system of FIG. 1 , in accordance with oneembodiment of the present invention. This method can be carried out, forexample, by the attribute model learning module 107, as described withreference to FIGS. 1 and 2 . As previously explained, this module (orits sub-modules) can be implemented as executable code encoded on one ormore machine-readable mediums, in accordance with one particularembodiment.

As previously explained, an attribute model is derived from one or moredriving sessions, and may include a mapping from road segment to ameasured (or derived) attribute value, or an estimate of the attributevalue for those road segments not yet actually traveled on by the user.The mapping gives a summary statistic (such as mean or median or othersuitable statistic) of the attribute values that have been observed indriving sessions for that segment. The attribute value for unseen roadsegments can be an a default value such as an estimate summarystatistic, as previously explained.

Referring now to the specific details of FIG. 3 , the method includesapplying 305 attribute estimation rules to sensor data to compute avalue for each desired attribute along each road segment covered by eachdriving session. As previously explained, the attribute estimation rulescan be direct “identity” rules (where the attribute value can bedirectly measured, such as for road speed measured by a speedometer orderived from GPS data), or indirect rules (where the attribute value canbe inferred or otherwise derived from one or more measurements, such asfor road safety as indicated by temperature, skidding, antilock brakeactivation, and/or other such ice detection sensors). For unseen (notyet traveled by the user) road segments not yet traveled, the methodincludes computing 310 a summary statistic (e.g., or otherwise assigninga default value). The method further includes learning conditionalvariants of each attribute model. In more detail, and with reference toFIG. 3 , the method continues with determining 325 if an explicit orimplicit condition (or both) applies to a given conditional variant of amodel.

For explicit conditions, the method includes defining 330 a bucket (anydata bin having known boundaries, such as a road speed bucket for aspecific time period in the day) for each explicit condition of a targetattribute, and storing 335 observed attribute data for all road segments(from all driving sessions) into the appropriate buckets. The methodcontinues with forming 340 a conditional variant model for each bucketby merging the attribute data in that bucket (e.g., taking mean ormedian). The result may be, for example, a road speed model for each ofrush-hour morning, mid-day, rush-hour evening, and off-peak. The methodmay further include determining 345 if there are more attributes. If so,the processing of steps 330 through 345 is repeated for each of thoseattributes. Note that this multi-attribute processing can be doneserially (one attribute at a time) or in parallel, depending onavailable processing power.

For implicit conditions, the method includes forming 350 (for eachdriving session) a mini-model for a target attribute by statisticallymerging session attribute data. The method continues with identifying355 pairs of like mini-models using a similarity metric as previouslyexplained (e.g., HAC or other suitable clustering algorithm), andmerging 360 data from pairs of like mini-models into one model (e.g., byaggregating data from each of the two mini-models). This combined modelis essentially a model built from the union of the driving sessions fromwhich the two like mini-models were built.

The method includes determining 365 if a stopping criterion is met. Ifnot, then the identifying 355 and merging 360 steps are repeated. Forinstance, the similarity metric is applied to each pair of models, andthe pair of models with the highest similarity rating is identified(step 355). If this highest similarity is high enough (e.g., based on apredefined threshold or other stopping criterion as determined at step365), then data from the two mini-models is merged to form a combinedmodel (step 360). The identifying 355 and merging 360 steps are repeateduntil the highest similarity identified is not high enough, at whichpoint processing for that particular target attribute stops. At thatpoint, the method may further include determining 370 if there are moreattributes. If so, the processing of steps 350 through 370 is repeatedfor each of those attributes. Just as with explicit conditions, suchmulti-attribute processing can be done serially (one attribute at atime) or in parallel.

If there are no more attributes to process (as determined at steps 345and 370), the method continues with storing 375 the resultingconditional variants of each attribute model, so that they cansubsequently be accessed by a route generator as discussed herein. Notethat explicit or implicit conditional variants of an attribute model canbe learned, or both explicit and implicit conditional variants of anattribute model can be learned. For example, the measured or otherwiseobserved data could first be partitioned into buckets by explicitconditions, and then clustered (e.g., using HAC or other suitablealgorithm) within each bucket to form implicit conditions within eachexplicit condition. Alternatively, the data could first be clusteredinto implicit conditions, and then each implicit condition can be brokendown into buckets corresponding to the explicit conditions. In thissense, FIG. 3 may include additional loops (e.g., one in each of theexplicit and implicit loops), where for each attribute being processed,a determination can be made as to whether there are more conditions fora target attribute. If so, the method repeats from step 325. Such anembodiment allows for the processing of both implicit and explicitconditions for the target attribute.

Route Generation Methodology

FIGS. 4 a and 4 b illustrates a method for generating driving directionsbased on attribute models, in accordance with one embodiment of thepresent invention. This method can be carried out, for example, by theroute generator module 111 and the attribute weighting module 113, asdescribed with reference to FIG. 1 . As previously explained, suchmodules (or their sub-modules) can be implemented as executable codeencoded on one or more machine-readable mediums, in accordance with oneparticular embodiment.

The method begins with receiving 405 a route request from the user,including a target destination. The target destination can be providedvia a user interface, as typically done (e.g., key pad or verbal entry).The method continues with receiving 410 current time data and thecurrent location of the user, such as that received from a GPS receiverand a dead-reckoning sensor. Such current time and user location datacan be used in time-sensitive route generation (e.g., it is currently 7am, so use rush hour models), as will be apparent in light of thisdisclosure.

The method continues with generating 415 a set of candidate routes. Inone particular case, each route may include one or more segments. Aspreviously explained, a segment is the basic unit for which roadattributes (e.g., speed, hazard, and user preference) can be learned.For a target attribute of a candidate route, the method continues withaccessing 420 one or more models of conditional variants of thatattribute. Recall that for a given attribute, there is a set of one ormore models for conditional variants of that attribute (e.g., for a roadspeed attribute, there may be two models corresponding to wet-weatherdriving and dry-weather driving). These conditional variant models canbe accessed, for example, from a storage as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2(storage 109 and/or 211).

The methodology operates to determine which of these conditional variantmodels to apply to the current driving session. This can beaccomplished, for example, by assigning a probability to eachconditional variant. In more detail, the method continues withdetermining 425 if a conditional variant corresponds to an explicit orimplicit condition. For an explicit condition, the method continues withassigning 430 a probability of 1 to the conditional variant model thatcorresponds to the explicit condition (e.g., rush-hour road speed modelthat applies during 6 am-9 am), and assigning a probability of 0 toother models (e.g., mid-day and weekend road speed models). For animplicit condition, the method includes assigning 435 a probability toeach conditional variant model of the target attribute, using Bayesianreasoning as previously explained (e.g., assigning 0.8 for the “rainyweather” condition, and 0.2 for the “dry weather” condition, based onmeasured, inferred, or otherwise observed data of the current drivingsession). The probability for a model can be assigned, for example, bystarting with a prior probability proportional to how many drivingsessions that model was derived from, and then adjusting thisprobability according to how well that model explains the observablemeasurements that have been seen for the current driving session so far(e.g., if the measurements so far are consistent with road speeds fordriving in rainy weather, then the wet-weather conditional variant modelwill get a higher probability. Attribute estimation rules (such as thoseused in off-line model learning, as previously discussed), can be usedto convert from observable measurements of the current driving sessionto attribute values. In one particular embodiment, the method mayinclude recomputing the probabilities periodically during the currentdriving session. This is because the longer the current driving sessionsgoes on, the more information will be available about the drivingconditions (e.g., the user may skid or engage anti-lock brakes), therebyenabling the calculation of more accurate probabilities about whichconditional variants to apply in route scoring.

The method continues with computing 440 a value of the target attributebased on the conditional variant model having highest probability. Inone particular embodiment, once probabilities have been assigned to eachconditional variant, the expected value of the attribute for a candidateroute can be calculated as a weighted average (e.g., sum over theconditional variants, and collect the probability of the ith conditionalvariant multiplied by the attribute value predicted by the ithconditional variant). This yields the value for the attribute aspredicted by the combination of all of the conditional variants of themodel for the attribute. The method may further include determining 445if there are more attributes. If so, the processing of steps 420 through445 is repeated for each of those attributes for the target route.Again, such multi-attribute processing can be done serially (oneattribute at a time) or in parallel. If there are no more attributes toprocess (as determined at step 445), the method continues withdetermining 450 if there are more candidate routes to process. If so,the processing of steps 420 through 450 is repeated for each of thoseroutes. The result of this processing is that each of the candidateroutes is assigned one or more attribute values which can be used toscore that route.

In this particular embodiment, and as previously explained, once all thecandidate routes are processed, the method continues with assigning 455an attribute weight to each attribute of each candidate route, based onattribute preferences of the user. Initially, these attribute weightscan be set to a user-configurable or otherwise default value which isthen refined based on subsequent user input, as explained herein. Theinitial preferences can be provided, for example, via a voice commandand/or data entry user interface. For discussion purposes, assume thatthe user prioritizes attributes in the following order: (1) road speed,(2) road familiarity, and (3) road safety. Thus, all other things equal,when a given segment has the attribute of consistently high road speed,it will generally be scored higher than those segments not possessingthat attribute (due to the attribute weight). Alternatively, attributescan be effectively turned-off (e.g., only consider road speed, andignore familiarity and safety attributes). The user can turn attributeson or off via the user interface. User preferences can be stored in aconfiguration file accessible during driving sessions. The configurationfile can be updated by the user (via the user interface) as preferenceschange.

The method continues with computing 460 a desirability score for eachcandidate route, using the attribute weights and attribute valuescomputed for that route, as previously explained (e.g., Score_(r)=SUMw_(i) x_(i)). The method continues with sorting 465 the candidate routesbased on their desirability scores, and providing 470 the top n highscoring routes for user selection (which may include all or a subset ofthe candidate routes). The user can preview the scored routes via a userinterface, if so desired. The method continues with receiving 475 aselected route from the user, and then determining 480 if the attributeweights need to be adjusted based on that user selection. If so, themethod continues with adjusting 485 the attribute weights based on theuser selection, as previously explained. The selected route can then bepresented to the user for use in actual navigation to the targetlocation.

The foregoing description of the embodiments of the invention has beenpresented for the purposes of illustration and description. It is notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formdisclosed. Many modifications and variations are possible in light ofthis disclosure. It is intended that the scope of the invention belimited not by this detailed description, but rather by the claimsappended hereto.

1.-20. (canceled)
 21. A computer-implemented method for updating mapdata, comprising: obtaining, by one or more processors, sensor data fromone or more vehicle sensors of a vehicle during a driving sessiontraversing one or more road segments, wherein map data available to thevehicle comprises the one or more road segments; identifying, by the oneor more processors, whether the vehicle is traveling along a path whichis distinct from the one or more road segments, based on the sensor dataand the map data available to the vehicle; determining, by the one ormore processors, an inference associated with an update to be made tothe map data available to the vehicle, based on information associatedwith the path which is distinct from the one or more road segments; andupdating, by the one or more processors, the map data available to thevehicle based on the inference.
 22. The computer-implemented method ofclaim 21, wherein updating the map data available to the vehicleincludes removing one or more road segments from the one or moresegments.
 23. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, whereinupdating the map data available to the vehicle includes adding one ormore road segments to the map data.
 24. The computer-implemented methodof claim 21, wherein updating the map data available to the vehicleincludes modifying one or more road segments from the one or moresegments.
 25. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, furthercomprising providing, by the one or more processors, informationassociated with updating the map data to a service which provides themap data to the vehicle.
 26. The computer-implemented method of claim21, further comprising receiving, by the one or more processors from auser associated with the vehicle, information associated with the updateto be made to the map data available to the vehicle.
 27. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein identifying, by the oneor more processors, whether the vehicle is traveling along the pathwhich is distinct from the one or more road segments, based on thesensor data and the map data available to the vehicle, comprises anavigation system learning a presence of a road segment not found in themap data available to the vehicle, based on speed information associatedwith the vehicle and comparing global positioning system data associatedwith the path with the map data available to the vehicle.
 28. Thecomputer-implemented method of claim 21, wherein at least part of aroute to a destination includes the one or more road segments, themethod further comprising: storing, by the one or more processors, theupdated map data in a memory; and computing, by the one or moreprocessors, an updated route to the destination based on the updated mapdata.
 29. The computer-implemented method of claim 28, whereincomputing, by the one or more processors, the updated route to thedestination based on the updated map data, comprises: generating aplurality of candidate routes to the destination based on a location ofthe vehicle and the updated map data, accessing one or more conditionalvariant models learned from previous driving sessions and which areassociated with a target attribute of the plurality of candidate routes,probabilistically determining which of the one or more conditionalvariant models to apply to the driving session by evaluatingprobabilities assigned to each of the one or more conditional variantmodels based on the driving session, scoring the plurality of candidateroutes using the determined conditional variant model, and automaticallyselecting one of the plurality of candidate routes as the updated routeto the destination or providing at least one of the plurality ofcandidate routes for selection as the updated route by a user associatedwith the vehicle, based on the scoring of the plurality of candidateroutes.
 30. The computer-implemented method of claim 21, whereinidentifying, by the one or more processors, whether the vehicle istraveling along the path which is distinct from the one or more roadsegments, based on the sensor data and the map data available to thevehicle, comprises comparing global positioning system data associatedwith the path with a first road segment among the one or more roadsegments, wherein the first road segment connects to a second roadsegment among the one or more road segments, and determining, by the oneor more processors, the inference associated with the update to be madeto the map data available to the vehicle, based on informationassociated with the path which is distinct from the one or more roadsegments, comprises inferring the first road segment has been removed orreconstructed when the path is spaced apart from the first road segmentand the vehicle travels along the path to connect to the second roadsegment.
 31. A computing system, comprising: one or more processors; andone or more memories including instructions that, when executed by theone or more processors, cause the processors to perform operations, theoperations comprising: obtaining sensor data from one or more vehiclesensors of a vehicle during a driving session traversing one or moreroad segments, wherein map data available to the vehicle comprises theone or more road segments, identifying whether the vehicle is travelingalong a path which is distinct from the one or more road segments, basedon the sensor data and the map data available to the vehicle,determining an inference associated with an update to be made to the mapdata available to the vehicle, based on information associated with thepath which is distinct from the one or more road segments, and updatingthe map data available to the vehicle based on the inference.
 32. Thecomputing system of claim 31, wherein updating the map data available tothe vehicle includes at least one of removing one or more road segmentsfrom the one or more segments, adding one or more road segments to themap data, or modifying one or more road segments from the one or moresegments.
 33. The computing system of claim 31, wherein identifyingwhether the vehicle is traveling along the path which is distinct fromthe one or more road segments, based on the sensor data and the map dataavailable to the vehicle, comprises a navigation system learning apresence of a road segment not found in the map data available to thevehicle, based on speed information associated with the vehicle andcomparing global positioning system data associated with the path withthe map data available to the vehicle.
 34. The computing system of claim31, wherein at least part of a route to a destination includes the oneor more road segments, and the operations further comprise: storing theupdated map data in at least one of the one or more memories; andcomputing an updated route to the destination based on the updated mapdata.
 35. The computing system of claim 34, wherein computing theupdated route to the destination based on the updated map data,comprises: generating a plurality of candidate routes to the destinationbased on a location of the vehicle and the updated map data, accessingone or more conditional variant models learned from previous drivingsessions and which are associated with a target attribute of theplurality of candidate routes, probabilistically determining which ofthe one or more conditional variant models to apply to the drivingsession by evaluating probabilities assigned to each of the one or moreconditional variant models based on the driving session, scoring theplurality of candidate routes using the determined conditional variantmodel, and automatically selecting one of the plurality of candidateroutes as the updated route to the destination or providing at least oneof the plurality of candidate routes for selection as the updated routeby a user associated with the vehicle, based on the scoring of theplurality of candidate routes.
 36. The computing system of claim 31,wherein identifying whether the vehicle is traveling along the pathwhich is distinct from the one or more road segments, based on thesensor data and the map data available to the vehicle, comprisescomparing global positioning system data associated with the path with afirst road segment among the one or more road segments, wherein thefirst road segment connects to a second road segment among the one ormore road segments, and determining the inference associated with theupdate to be made to the map data available to the vehicle, based oninformation associated with the path which is distinct from the one ormore road segments, comprises inferring the first road segment has beenremoved or reconstructed when the path is spaced apart from the firstroad segment and the vehicle travels along the path to connect to thesecond road segment.
 37. A vehicle, comprising: one or more vehiclesensors; one or more processors; and one or more memories includinginstructions that, when executed by the one or more processors, causethe one or more processors to perform operations, the operationscomprising: obtaining sensor data from the one or more vehicle sensorsduring a driving session traversing one or more road segments, whereinmap data available to the vehicle comprises the one or more roadsegments, identifying whether the vehicle is traveling along a pathwhich is distinct from the one or more road segments, based on thesensor data and the map data available to the vehicle, determining aninference associated with an update to be made to the map data availableto the vehicle, based on information associated with the path which isdistinct from the one or more road segments, and updating the map dataavailable to the vehicle based on the inference.
 38. The vehicle ofclaim 37, wherein identifying whether the vehicle is traveling along thepath which is distinct from the one or more road segments, based on thesensor data and the map data available to the vehicle, comprises anavigation system learning a presence of a road segment not found in themap data available to the vehicle, based on speed information associatedwith the vehicle and comparing global positioning system data associatedwith the path with the map data available to the vehicle.
 39. Thevehicle of claim 37, wherein at least part of a route to a destinationincludes the one or more road segments, and the operations furthercomprise: computing an updated route to the destination based on theupdated map data by: generating a plurality of candidate routes to thedestination based on a location of the vehicle and the updated map data,accessing one or more conditional variant models learned from previousdriving sessions and which are associated with a target attribute of theplurality of candidate routes, probabilistically determining which ofthe one or more conditional variant models to apply to the drivingsession by evaluating probabilities assigned to each of the one or moreconditional variant models based on the driving session, scoring theplurality of candidate routes using the determined conditional variantmodel, and automatically selecting one of the plurality of candidateroutes as the updated route to the destination or providing at least oneof the plurality of candidate routes for selection as the updated routeby a user associated with the vehicle, based on the scoring of theplurality of candidate routes.
 40. The vehicle of claim 37, whereinidentifying whether the vehicle is traveling along the path which isdistinct from the one or more road segments, based on the sensor dataand the map data available to the vehicle, comprises comparing globalpositioning system data associated with the path with a first roadsegment among the one or more road segments, wherein the first roadsegment connects to a second road segment among the one or more roadsegments, and determining the inference associated with the update to bemade to the map data available to the vehicle, based on informationassociated with the path which is distinct from the one or more roadsegments, comprises inferring the first road segment has been removed orreconstructed when the path is spaced apart from the first road segmentand the vehicle travels along the path to connect to the second roadsegment.